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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · safe · vault · field · last · shower · suit · stock

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — farmland
  3. suit — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. suit — to fit
  6. march — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. last — final
  10. vault — a safe
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. last — to go on
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. suit — clothes
  19. field — for sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com